19th Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales
In office 3 December 2009 – 31 March 2011
Deputy
Carmel Tebbutt
Preceded by
Nathan Rees
Succeeded by
John Robertson
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Heffron
In office 22 March 2003 – 29 June 2012
Preceded by
Deirdre Grusovin
Succeeded by
Ron Hoenig
Personal details
Born
Kristina Marie Kerscher
(1968-12-19) 19 December 1968 (age 55) Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Nationality
Australian (2000–present) American (1968–2002)
Political party
Labor (2000–present)
Other political affiliations
Democratic (Before 2000, United States)
Spouse
Ben Keneally
Children
3 (1 deceased)
Education
University of Dayton (BA, MA) Marquette University Australian Catholic University
Website
Agency website Senate Profile
Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally (born 19 December 1968)[1] is an American-born Australian politician who served as the first female Premier of New South Wales from 2009 to 2011[2] and was later a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022. She resigned from the Senate to contest the House of Representatives seat of Fowler, but was unsuccessful. From 2019 to 2022 she served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
Keneally was born in the United States to an American father and an Australian mother. She grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and is a graduate of the University of Dayton. After marrying an Australian, Ben Keneally, she settled in Australia permanently and became a naturalised citizen in 2000. Keneally was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Heffron at the 2003 state election, succeeding Deirdre Grusovin after a controversial preselection process.[3] After being re-elected to parliament at the 2007 state election, she became the Minister for Ageing and Disability Services and was subsequently appointed Minister for Planning by Premier Nathan Rees in 2008. She was also the state government's spokeswoman for World Youth Day 2008.[4]
By December 2009 Keneally had emerged as the preferred leadership candidate of the Labor Right faction, and defeated incumbent Premier Nathan Rees (who had been in office for just 15 months) in a party room ballot, winning by 47 votes to 21.[5][6][7] The Keneally Government went on to suffer a 16.5 percent two-party preferred statewide swing at the 2011 state election – the biggest swing in Australian political history.[8] She resigned as Labor Party leader on election night and was succeeded by John Robertson, who was elected unopposed, on 31 March 2011.[9] She resigned from Parliament in June 2012.
In 2014 Keneally joined Sky News Live as a political commentator, later becoming co-host of To The Point. She took leave in November 2017 to stand as the Labor candidate for the Bennelong by-election, achieving a swing to Labor but losing to previous member John Alexander. In February 2018 she was appointed to the Senate to fill a casual vacancy caused by Sam Dastyari's resignation.[10] After the 2019 leadership election, Keneally was selected as deputy Senate leader in the shadow cabinet of new Labor leader Anthony Albanese. She was also given the portfolios of Home Affairs and Immigration and Citizenship.[11][12]
At the 2022 federal election Keneally, whose main residency is in the Northern Beaches, was parachuted into the traditionally safe Labor seat of Fowler, which has one of the highest concentrations of Vietnamese Australians in the country. As a result of community backlash against her candidacy, Labor suffered a 15.6% swing against them, and she was defeated by independent challenger Dai Le, a Vietnamese-Australian journalist and former Liberal Party candidate.
^"The Hon. Kristina Kerscher Keneally (1968– )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
^Clennell, Andrew (3 December 2009). "Keneally first female NSW Premier". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
^Norington, Brad (10 October 2002). "Mum's the word as Grusovin bows out of party battle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
^"American-born Members of Parliament". Hansard. Parliament of New South Wales. 3 April 2008. p. 6444. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
^"Keneally 'secures key faction for vote'". Herald Sun. Melbourne. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
^"Keneally 'will collaborate' on new cabinet". ABC News. Australia. 4 December 2009.
Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally (born 19 December 1968) is an American-born Australian politician who served as the first female Premier of New South...
Credlin Keneally (originally announced as Credlin & Keneally) was an Australian television news and commentary program broadcast weekly on Sky News Australia...
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The Keneally ministry is the 92nd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and was led by the 42nd Premier KristinaKeneally. The ministry was formed...
leader and Premier, in favour of KristinaKeneally. Tebbutt remained as Deputy Leader and Deputy Premier under Keneally, and became Minister for Health...
2011. The 16-year-incumbent Labor Party government led by Premier KristinaKeneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal–National Coalition opposition...
3 December 2009, Rees was deposed as leader of the Labor Party by KristinaKeneally after he resoundingly lost a secret ballot in the Labor Party caucus...
saw Senator KristinaKeneally parachuted into the election for the "safe" seat in order to resolve the dispute. It would also allow Keneally to serve on...
blues and roots singer Jackie Marshall. KristinaKeneally, former New South Wales premier and Labor Senator Keneally and her family moved to Liverpool prior...
interviewed several politicians, including Jodi McKay, Tanya Plibersek, KristinaKeneally, Bill Shorten, Helen Dalton, and former prime minister Kevin Rudd...
which focuses on political news and is co-hosted by van Onselen and KristinaKeneally. When Parliament is sitting, PVO NewsDay does not return after To...
Business and Rural Affairs in the Rees ministry. In December 2009 when KristinaKeneally became Premier he was made Minister for Primary Industry and Minister...
Hills Neville Wran Barrie Unsworth Bob Carr Morris Iemma Nathan Rees KristinaKeneally John Robertson Linda Burney Luke Foley Michael Daley Penny Sharpe...
female head of government in Australia. The shortest tenure belongs to KristinaKeneally, who served as the 42nd Premier of New South Wales for a little over...
election, in which he was elected. Former Premier of New South Wales KristinaKeneally was preselected as Labor candidate for the 2017 Bennelong by-election...
the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. Former New South Wales Premier KristinaKeneally said that according to Dutton, "Free speech is great and should be...
candidacy to replace premier Nathan Rees and Rees was instead replaced by KristinaKeneally. Before entering Parliament, Thistlethwaite worked as a senior consultant...
solar-bonus scheme subsidy for solar panels on his roof after then Premier KristinaKeneally announced it was shutting down. The coverage was cited as the first...
Harbour. The beach-themed party, hosted by New South Wales Premier KristinaKeneally, featured live music and a fireworks display over the water which...
on 31 May and sworn in the following day. As Labor frontbenchers KristinaKeneally and Terri Butler lost their seats in the election, Clare O'Neil and...
Former New South Wales police officer Daniel Keneally, the son of former premier and senator KristinaKeneally, receives a 15-month intensive corrective...
Retrieved 2021-12-23. Byrnes, Holly (October 29, 2017). "David Speers and KristinaKeneally to lead Sky News' extensive investment in new programming". news.com...
Nathan Rees was deposed by KristinaKeneally casting doubt upon the blueprint. In February 2010, the NSW premier KristinaKeneally announced the Metropolitan...